For two days, Dordrecht transforms into an oasis of neoclassical, ambient, electronica and indie. Opwaarts takes you to a world where music, visuals and light merge into an enchanting experience. In two iconic locations - the majestic Grote Kerk and the industrial Energiehuis - escape the hectic pace of everyday life. Leave behind the pressures of social obligations and endless doom-scrolling. Allow yourself the space to de-stress and be carried away by meditative sounds and breathtaking projections. Whether you come to listen, watch, or simply be: Upward invites you to explore, feel, and reconnect with yourself.
With a lineup of the best live artists and a program that puts peace and wonder at its core, Upward will be an unforgettable journey. Stand still, breathe in, and experience music like never before.
Grandbrothers
Grandbrothers' music represents a connection between the old and the new.
Founded in Düsseldorf, Germany, the duo consists of pianist Erol Sarp and engineer/software designer Lukas Vogel. Their groundbreaking work revolves around the collaboration between these two artists. On their extraordinary new album, Late Reflections (released April 21, 2023), they bring their art together with an institution so old that it transcends their music by seven centuries: the Cologne Cathedral. This iconic monument served as an unusual recording studio for Grandbrothers' fourth album. The result is an album steeped in history and architecture, with the spatial properties of this impressive building shaping and deepening the duo's compositions. The idea came about after a concert in 2019, when the church's chief architect unexpectedly asked them if they would like to perform a concert in the Cathedral. Three years later, Grandbrothers gave a unique concert in the cathedral's massive nave, performing music specially composed for the enormous space and acoustics. Leading up to this concert, Sarp and Vogel prepared enough material for a full-length album, resulting in Late Reflections. Although the album is strongly connected to the concert, it is not a live album; the duo recorded the work during a series of nights in July, at the Cologne Cathedral.
Matteo Myderwyk
Matteo Myderwyk is the first Dutch pianist and composer to be signed to the prestigious Warner Classics label. He is also the first Dutchman to be nominated for an Edison Award Neo Classical two years in a row! With his album A brief nostalgia, he aroused (inter)national attention which resulted in sold-out shows and his second Edison nomination. Matteo's years of training as a classical pianist at the conservatory taught him above all to leave music of his heroes Bach, Liszt and Messiaen behind and find his own musical language. First of all, he decided to throw off all classical rules. To make music without pre-arrangements; to have the goal of making music in the moment. This was immediately the most important lesson he learned in this experimental period; music is not written on paper but made in the moment.His live shows begin where the acclaimed album ends. A complete sound universe is explored; from impressionistic piano playing, minimalist soundscapes on organ to abrasive solos from his Moog synthesizer.
Music made in the moment, that is the style Matteo made his own in recent years by blending his classical background with the wonderful world of free jazz.
